Angels Demons Chapter 109-112

109Meanwhile, in St. Peters Square, the wall of Swiss Guards yelled orders and fanned breakward, move to push the presss back to a safer distance. It was no use. The crowd was similarly dense and determinemed further more interested in the Vaticans impending doom than in their sustain safety. The towering media screens in the square(a) were today transmittance a live count tear down of the antimatter canister a direct feed from the Swiss Guard security proctor compliments of the camerlegno. Unfortunately, the image of the canister counting down was doing nonhing to repel the crowds. The people in the square apparently looked at the tiny droplet of liquid suspended in the canister and decided it was non as menacing as they had survey. They could also see the countdown clock now a little under xlv minutes until detonation. Plenty of time to stay and watch.N angiotensin-converting enzymetheless, the Swiss Guards unanimously agreed that the camerlegnos bold decision to get oer the world with the truth and then provide the media with numberual visuals of Illuminati treachery had been a savvy maneuver. The Illuminati had no question expected the Vatican to be their usual reticent selves in the face of adversity. Not this night. Camerlegno Carlo Ventresca had proven himself a irresponsible foe.Inside the Sistine Chapel, Cardinal Mortati was getting restless. It was past 1115 P.M. M either of the cardinals were continuing to pray, further others had agglomerative around the exit, clearly unsettled by the hour. Some of the cardinals began pound sign on the door with their fists.Outside the door Lieutenant Chartrand heard the pounding and didnt know what to do. He checked his watch. It was time. master Rocher had given strict orders that the cardinals were not to be let out until he gave the word. The pounding on the door became more intense, and Chartrand snarl up uneasy. He wonde cherry if the captain had simply forgotten. The captain had b een acting very erratic since his mysterious phone call.Chartrand pulled out his walkie-talkie. Captain? Chartrand here. It is past time. Should I open the Sistine?That door stays shut. I believe I al pass water gave you that order.Yes, sir, I reasonable Our guest is arriving shortly. Take a few men upstairs, and guard the door of the Popes completeice. The camerlegno is not to go anywhere.Im sorry, sir?What is it that you dont understand, Lieutenant?Nothing, sir. I am on my way.Upstairs in the moo craze of the Pope, the camerlegno stared in quiet hypothesis at the fire. Give me strength, divinity. Bring us a miracle. He poked at the coals, wondering if he would hold the night.110Eleven-twenty-three P.M.Vittoria stood trembling on the balcony of Castle St. Angelo, staring out crosswise Rome, her eyes moist with tears. She precious badly to embrace Robert Langdon, but she could not. Her body felt anesthetized. Readjusting. Taking stock. The man who had killed her military c haplain lay far below, dead, and she had almost been a victim as well.When Langdons hand turn all overed her shoulder, the infusion of warmth seemed to magically smash the ice. Her body shuddered back to life. The fog lifted, and she turned. Robert looked monetary standardized hell wet and matted he had obviously been by purgatory to come rescue her.Thank you she whispered.Langdon gave an exhausted smile and reminded her that it was she who deserved thanks her ability to practically sneak her shoulders had just saved them both. Vittoria wiped her eyes. She could sustain stood in that respect forever with him, but the reprieve was short-lived.We need to get out of here, Langdon utter.Vittorias mind was elsewhere. She was staring out toward the Vatican. The worlds smallest country looked unsettlingly compressed, glowing white under a barrage of media lights. To her shock, oftentimes of St. Peters Square was still packed with people The Swiss Guard had apparently been ab le to clear tho astir(predicate) a hundred and fifty feet back the area directly in front of the basilica less than one-third of the square. The shell of congestion encompassing the square was compacted now, those at the safer distances pressing for a ambient look, trapping the others in spite of appearance. They are too close Vittoria thought. Much too closeIm going back in, Langdon said flatly.Vittoria turned, incredulous. Into the Vatican?Langdon told her slightly the Samaritan, and how it was a ploy. The Illuminati leader, a man named Janus, was actually approach path himself to brand the camerlegno. A final Illuminati act of domination.Nobody in Vatican City knows, Langdon said. I possess no way to contact them, and this guy is arriving any minute. I have to warn the guards before they let him in.But youll never get through the crowdLangdons voice was confident. Theres a way. Trust me.Vittoria sensed once again that the historian knew something she did not. Im coming. No. Why insecurity both I have to find a way to get those people out of there Theyre in incredible dange Just then, the balcony they were standing on began to shake. A deafening rumble shook the wholly castle. Then a white light from the direction of St. Peters blinded them. Vittoria had tho one thought. Oh my theology The antimatter decimate earlyBut instead of an explosion, a huge cheer went up from the crowd. Vittoria squinted into the light. It was a barrage of media lights from the square, now trained, it seemed, on them every(prenominal)one was turned their way, hollering and pointing. The rumble grew louder. The air in the square seemed suddenly joyous.Langdon looked baffled. What the devil The twitch overhead roared.Emerging from behind the tower, without warning, came the papal helicopter. It thundered fifty feet above them, on a beeline for Vatican City. As it passed overhead, beaming in the media lights, the castle trembled. The lights followed the helicopter a s it passed by, and Langdon and Vittoria were suddenly again in the dark.Vittoria had the uneasy feeling they were too late as they watched the mammoth machine slow to a stop over St. Peters Square. Kicking up a cloud of dust, the chopper dropped onto the open portion of the square between the crowd and the basilica, touching down at the bottom of the basilicas staircase.Talk about an entrance, Vittoria said. Against the white marble, she could see a tiny speck of a person emerge from the Vatican and move toward the chopper. She would never have recognized the body-build except for the bright red beret on his head. Red carpet greeting. Thats Rocher.Langdon pounded his fist on the banister. Somebodys got to warn them He turned to go.Vittoria caught his arm. Wait She had just seen something else, something her eyes ref utilise to believe. Fingers trembling, she pointed toward the chopper. Even from this distance, there was no mistaking. Descending the gangplank was another watch a f igure who moved so uniquely that it could only be one man. Although the figure was seated, he accelerated across the open square with effortless control and startling speed.A king on an electric throne.It was liquid ecstasyimilian Kohler.111Kohler was sickened by the opulence of the Hallway of the Belvedere. The amber leaf in the ceiling alone probably could have funded a years worth of cancer research. Rocher led Kohler up a handicapped ramp on a oblique route into the Apostolic Palace.No elevator? Kohler demanded.No power. Rocher motioned to the candles burning around them in the darkened building. opus of our search tactic.Tactics which no doubt failed.Rocher nodded.Kohler broke into another coughing fit and knew it might be one of his last. It was not an entirely unwelcome thought.When they reached the top floor and started down the hallway toward the Popes office, four Swiss Guards ran toward them, looking troubled. Captain, what are you doing up here? I thought this man had information that He provide only speak to the camerlegno.The guards recoiled, looking suspicious.Tell the camerlegno, Rocher said forcefully, that the director of CERN, scoopimilian Kohler, is here to see him. Immediately.Yes, sir One of the guards ran off in the direction of the camerlegnos office. The others stood their ground. They stu break awayd Rocher, looking uneasy. Just one moment, captain. We leave aloneing announce your guest.Kohler, however, did not stop. He turned sharply and maneuvered his chair around the sentinels.The guards spun and broke into a jog beside him. Fermati Sir StopKohler felt aversion for them. Not even the most elite security force in the world was immune to the lenity everyone felt for cripples. Had Kohler been a healthy man, the guards would have tackled him. Cripples are powerless, Kohler thought. Or so the world believes.Kohler knew he had very little time to accomplish what he had come for. He also knew he might die here tonight. He was i mpress how little he cared. Death was a price he was ready to pay. He had endured too much in his life to have his work abolished by psyche like Camerlegno Ventresca.Signore the guards shouted, running ahead and forming a line across the hallway. You must stop One of them pulled a sidearm and aimed it at Kohler.Kohler halt.Rocher stepped in, looking contrite. Mr. Kohler, please. It will only be a moment. No one enters the Office of the Pope unannounced.Kohler could see in Rochers eyes that he had no choice but to wait. Fine, Kohler thought. We wait.The guards, cruelly it seemed, had stop Kohler next to a full-length gilded mirror. The sight of his own twisted form repulsed Kohler. The old-fashioned rage brimmed yet again to the surface. It gifted him. He was among the enemy now. These were the people who had robbed him of his dignity. These were the people. Because of them he had never felt the touch of a woman had never stood tall to accept an award. What truth do these people possess? What proof, imprecate it A book of ancient fables? Promises of miracles to come? Science creates miracles every dayKohler stared a moment into his own stony eyes. Tonight I may die at the hands of religion, he thought. But it will not be the foremost time.For a moment, he was eleven years old again, lying in his bed in his parents Frankfurt mansion. The sheets beneath him were Europes finest linen, but they were soaked with sweat. Young Max felt like he was on fire, the disturb wracking his body unimaginable. Kneeling beside his bed, where they had been for two days, were his mother and father. They were praying.In the shadows stood three of Frankfurts best doctors.I urge you to reconsider one of the doctors said. Look at the boy His fever is increasing. He is in terrible pain. And dangerBut Max knew his mothers reply before she even said it. Gott wird ihn beschuetzen.Yes, Max thought. God will protect me. The conviction in his mothers voice gave him strength. God wil l protect me.An hour later, Max felt like his whole body was being crushed beneath a car. He could not even breathe to cry.Your son is in great suffering, another doctor said. permit me at to the lowest degree ease his pain. I have in my bag a simple injection of Ruhe, bitte Maxs father silence the doctor without ever opening his eyes. He simply kept praying.Father, please Max wanted to scream. Let them stop the pain But his words were lost in a spasm of coughing.An hour later, the pain had worsened.Your son could become paralyzed, one of the doctors scolded. Or even die We have medicines that will helpFrau and Herr Kohler would not allow it. They did not believe in medicine. Who were they to interfere with Gods master plan? They prayed harder. After all, God had jocund them with this boy, why would God take the child away? His mother whispered to Max to be strong. She explained that God was testing him like the Bible story of Abraham a test of his faith.Max tried to have faith , but the pain was excruciating.I cannot watch this one of the doctors finally said, running from the room.By dawn, Max was barely conscious. Every muscle in his body spasmed in agony. Where is Jesus? he wondered. Doesnt he love me? Max felt the life slipping from his body.His mother had fallen asleep at the bedside, her hands still clasped over him. Maxs father stood across the room at the window staring out at the dawn. He seemed to be in a trance. Max could hear the low mumble of his ceaseless prayers for mercy.It was then that Max sensed the figure hovering over him. An angel? Max could barely see. His eyes were swollen shut. The figure whispered in his ear, but it was not the voice of an angel. Max recognized it as one of the doctors the one who had sat in the command for two days, never leaving, begging Maxs parents to let him administer some new drug from England.I will never forgive myself, the doctor whispered, if I do not do this. Then the doctor thinly took Maxs frail a rm. I wish I had done it sooner.Max felt a tiny pricking in his arm barely discernible through the pain.Then the doctor quietly packed his things. out front he left, he put a hand on Maxs forehead. This will save your life. I have great faith in the power of medicine.Within minutes, Max felt as if some discipline of magic spirit were flowing through his veins. The warmth spread through his body numbing his pain. Finally, for the first time in days, Max slept.When the fever broke, his mother and father proclaimed a miracle of God. But when it became obvious that their son was crippled, they became despondent. They wheeled their son into the church and begged the priest for counseling.It was only by the grace of God, the priest told them, that this boy survived.Max listened, consecrateing nothing.But our son cannot walk Frau Kohler was weeping.The priest nodded sadly. Yes. It seems God has punished him for not having adequacy faith.Mr. Kohler? It was the Swiss Guard who had run ahead. The camerlegno says he will grant you audience.Kohler grunted, accelerating again down the hall.He is surprised by your visit, the guard said.Im sure. Kohler rolled on. I would like to see him alone.Impossible, the guard said. No one Lieutenant, Rocher barked. The meeting will be as Mr. Kohler wishes.The guard stared in obvious disbelief.Outside the door to the Popes office, Rocher allowed his guards to take standard precautions before letting Kohler in. Their handheld metal detector was rendered worthless by the myriad of electronic devices on Kohlers wheelchair. The guards frisked him but were obviously too ashamed of his disability to do it properly. They never effectuate the revolver affix beneath his chair. Nor did they relieve him of the other object the one that Kohler knew would bring unforgettable closure to this evenings chain of events.When Kohler entered the Popes office, Camerlegno Ventresca was alone, rest in prayer beside a dying fire. He did not open his eyes.Mr. Kohler, the camerlegno said. Have you come to clear up me a martyr?112All the while, the narrow tunnel called Il Passetto stretched out before Langdon and Vittoria as they shoot toward Vatican City. The blowlamp in Langdons hand threw only enough light to see a few yards ahead. The walls were close on either side, and the ceiling low. The air smelled dank. Langdon raced on into the darkness with Vittoria close at his heels.The tunnel disposed(p) steeply as it left the Castle St. Angelo, proceeding upward into the underside of a stone bastion that looked like a Roman aqueduct. There, the tunnel leveled out and began its secret course toward Vatican City.As Langdon ran, his thoughts turned over and over in a kaleidoscope of confounding images Kohler, Janus, the Hassassin, Rocher a sixth brand? Im sure youve heard about the sixth brand, the killer had said. The most brilliant of all. Langdon was quite certain he had not. Even in junto theory lore, Langdon could think of no references to any sixth brand. Real or imagined. There were rumors of a gold bullion and a flawless Illuminati Diamond but never any mention of a sixth brand.Kohler cant be Janus Vittoria declared as they ran down the interior of the dike. Its impossibleImpossible was one word Langdon had stopped using tonight. I dont know, Langdon yelled as they ran. Kohler has a heartbreaking grudge, and he also has some serious influence.This crisis has made CERN look like monsters Max would never do anything to damage CERNs reputationOn one count, Langdon knew CERN had taken a globe beating tonight, all because of the Illuminatis insistence on making this a public spectacle. And yet, he wondered how much CERN had really been damaged. Criticism from the church was nothing new for CERN. In fact, the more Langdon thought about it, the more he wondered if this crisis might actually benefit CERN. If publicity were the game, then antimatter was the jackpot achiever tonight. The entire planet wa s talking about it.You know what promoter P. T. Barnum said, Langdon called over his shoulder. I dont care what you say about me, just spell my name right I bet people are already secretly lining up to license antimatter technology. And after they see its true power at midnight tonightIllogical, Vittoria said. Publicizing scientific breakthroughs is not about showing destructive power This is terrible for antimatter, trust meLangdons torch was fading now. Then maybe its all much simpler than that. mayhap Kohler gambled that the Vatican would keep the antimatter a secret refusing to empower the Illuminati by confirming the weapons existence. Kohler expected the Vatican to be their usual tight-lipped selves about the threat, but the camerlegno changed the rules.Vittoria was silent as they dash down the tunnel.Suddenly the scenario was making more sense to Langdon. Yes Kohler never counted on the camerlegnos reaction. The camerlegno broke the Vatican tradition of closeness and went public about the crisis. He was dead honest. He put the antimatter on TV, for Gods sake. It was a brilliant response, and Kohler never expected it. And the irony of the whole thing is that the Illuminati attack backfired. It inadvertently produced a new church leader in the camerlegno. And now Kohler is coming to kill himMax is a bastard, Vittoria declared, but he is not a murderer. And he would never have been involved in my fathers assassination.In Langdons mind, it was Kohlers voice that answered. Leonardo was considered dangerous by many purists at CERN. Fusing science and God is the ultimate scientific blasphemy. Maybe Kohler found out about the antimatter project weeks ago and didnt like the religious implications.So he killed my father over it? Ridiculous Besides, Max Kohler would never have known the project existed.While you were gone, maybe your father broke down and consulted Kohler, request for guidance. You yourself said your father was concerned about the honorable im plications of creating such a deadly substance.Asking moral guidance from Maximilian Kohler? Vittoria snorted. I dont think soThe tunnel banked slightly westward. The faster they ran, the dimmer Langdons torch became. He began to fear what the place would look like if the light went out. Black.Besides, Vittoria argued, why would Kohler have bothered to call you in this morning and ask for help if he is behind the whole thing?Langdon had already considered it. By art me, Kohler covered his bases. He made sure no one would accuse him of nonaction in the face of crisis. He probably never expected us to get this far.The thought of being used by Kohler shady Langdon. Langdons involvement had given the Illuminati a level of credibility. His credentials and publications had been quoted all night by the media, and as risible as it was, the presence of a Harvard professor in Vatican City had somehow raised the whole nip beyond the scope of paranoid delusion and convinced skeptics around the world that the Illuminati brotherhood was not only a historical fact, but a force to be reckoned with.That BBC reporter, Langdon said, thinks CERN is the new Illuminati lair.What Vittoria stumbled behind him. She pulled herself up and ran on. He said that?On air. He likened CERN to the Masonic lodges an innocent organization unknowingly harboring the Illuminati brotherhood within.My God, this is going to destroy CERN.Langdon was not so sure. Either way, the theory suddenly seemed less far-fetched. CERN was the ultimate scientific haven. It was home to scientists from over a dozen countries. They seemed to have endless private funding. And Maximilian Kohler was their director.Kohler is Janus.If Kohlers not involved, Langdon challenged, then what is he doing here? probably trying to stop this madness. Show support. Maybe he really is acting as the Samaritan He could have found out who knew about the antimatter project and has come to share information.The killer said he was comin g to brand the camerlegno.Listen to yourself It would be a suicide mission. Max would never get out alive.Langdon considered it. Maybe that was the point.The outline of a steel gate loomed ahead, blocking their progress down the tunnel. Langdons heart almost stopped. When they approached, however, they found the ancient lock hanging open. The gate swung freely.Langdon breathed a sigh of relief, realizing as he had suspected, that the ancient tunnel was in use. Recently. As in today. He now had little doubt that four frighten cardinals had been secreted through here earlier.They ran on. Langdon could now hear the sounds of chaos to his left. It was St. Peters Square. They were getting close.They hit another gate, this one heavier. It too was unlocked. The sound of St. Peters Square faded behind them now, and Langdon sensed they had passed through the outer wall of Vatican City. He wondered where inside the Vatican this ancient passage would conclude. In the gardens? In the basilica? In the papal residence?Then, without warning, the tunnel ended.The ill-chosen door blocking their way was a thick wall of riveted iron. Even by the last flickers of his torch, Langdon could see that the portal was perfectly smooth no handles, no knobs, no keyholes, no hinges. No entry.He felt a surge of panic. In architect-speak, this rare kind of door was called a senza chiave a one-way portal, used for security, and only operable from one side the other side. Langdons hope dimmed to black along with the torch in his hand.He looked at his watch. Mickey glowed.1129 P.M.With a scream of frustration, Langdon swung the torch and started pounding on the door.